


Think Before Speaking

by msraven



Series: Trope Bingo Round 3 Blackout [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Professions, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mundane, Established Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, accountant!Phil, singer!Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 13:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msraven/pseuds/msraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a month's worth of preparation, Phil learns the hard way that finally proposing to Clint was the easy part.</p><p>Written for the AU: Mundane square on my trope_bingo card.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Think Before Speaking

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Small mention of infidelity. (Not between Clint and Phil.)

"We're getting married," Phil announces, gripping Clint's hand and not-so-subtly lifting it so that Pepper can see the ring on his finger. 

Pepper lets out a girlish squeal and pulls Phil into a hug while her husband, Tony, reaches out and bumps fists with Clint. They all settle back into their seats after Pepper has given Clint his own hug and properly admired the engagement ring. Phil had searched in vain for over a month before finally finding a jeweler that would custom make the band. The engagement ring looks like two thinner rings stacked together – brushed platinum with small, inset black diamonds – and another thin band would be added after the wedding, resulting in a slightly wider than normal band that should look amazing against Clint's long, work-toughened fingers. 

Clint is a carpenter, woodworker, and occasional singer/pianist. They had met at a downtown piano bar that Phil frequented after especially rough weeks at his accounting firm. Clint's best friend, Natasha, owns the bar and Clint had covered at the last minute when one of the singers quit without notice. Phil had become immediately enamored with Clint's chiseled features, piercing eyes, and soulful voice, never expecting the younger man to notice him among the crowd of identical suits. Clint had approached Phil after his third week of playing at the bar and their relationship had progressed steadily from there. They have surprisingly a lot in common considering their wildly different backgrounds and professions, their friends get along with one another, and the sex is amazing. They've now been seeing each other for two years and have lived together for more than half of it. Phil can't imagine being happier.

"Have you set a date?" Pepper asks.

"No," Clint answers with a shake of his head. "Phil only asked me last night and we haven't had time talk about it."

"On your anniversary? How romantic of you, Phil."

"And I'm guessing we shouldn't ask what's kept you so busy that you still haven't talked about it a day later?" Tony cuts in with a leer.

"Only if you want proof of how much is lacking in your sex life," Clint fires back and Phil smirks.

"It's not really my area," Pepper says, ignoring the banter, "but I should be able to help you find a venue for the ceremony and reception." 

"Thanks, but no," Phil responds. "We won't need it. This is a second marriage for both of us, so we'll just go to City Hall once we figure out when we can get away for a honeymoon."

Phil leans forward to let Tony refill his wine glass and misses how Clint's smile drops or how Pepper frowns when she sees it.

"Are you sure?" Pepper prods. "We can keep it small. Maybe just a lunch?"

"We're sure," Phil answers decisively and leans back in his seat, draping his arm along the back of the couch and resting it lightly on Clint's wide shoulders. "We could maybe do a small lunch somewhere after City Hall with our witnesses – you two and Natasha – but I don't see why it's necessary to go through the trouble of arranging more than that. Does a lunch sound okay to you, Clint?"

"Um… yeah. That sounds okay," Clint responds a little reluctantly and Phil turns toward him with a smile.

"Don't worry. We'll make sure it's on a day that Natasha can get away from the bar. Then it'll be two full weeks away for our honeymoon."

Clint's smile widens and Phil can't keep himself from leaning forward for a small kiss, this time missing Tony's eye roll and a resigned sigh from Pepper.

~^~

Life doesn't change much for Clint and Phil after their engagement. They schedule an appointment at City Hall in two month's time, which will be after tax season for Phil and give Clint enough time to wrap up his current job. At Clint's request, they expand the small lunch to include Natasha's new police detective boyfriend, Steve, Clint's old friend, Thor, and his wife, Jane. From there, it seems only reasonable to include Bruce – another of Phil's college friends – and his wife, Betty.

"Are you sure you don't want to invite anyone from the accounting firm?" Clint asks the following Sunday as they're making their way across town to Bruce and Betty's house for a barbecue. "You spend a lot of time with Jasper and Maria, and you've known Nick a long time."

"No, definitely not," Phil responds. "One wedding with them in attendance was more than enough, thank you."

Phil's first husband, Christopher, wasn't a bad man, but they had gotten married just after same-sex marriage had become legal in the state. It didn't take long for them to figure out that they had been more excited about being able to get married than actually being married to each other. Jasper, Maria, and Nick had not been shy about advising Phil against his first marriage, and the last thing he needs is to hear them rehash old arguments now that Phil is marrying someone they actually approve of.

"If that's what you want."

"It's what I want," Phil confirms, giving Clint a quick kiss on the cheek before they get out of the car. "We said we'd keep it small, remember?"

Clint had shown Phil pictures from his first wedding to his high school sweetheart, LeeAnn. Clint had looked incredibly uncomfortable in his ill-fitting tuxedo, while surrounded by a huge wedding party he barely knew. Phil promised himself he would never put Clint through another fiasco like that or make him deal with the negative memories associated with it. While Phil's first marriage had ended amicably, LeeAnn had let Clint give up his archery scholarship and work tirelessly to put her through college before cheating on him with one of her professors. LeeAnn's family still blamed Clint for the resulting divorce.

"Come on," Phil prods. "Let's get inside so Betty can gush some more about the crib you built for the baby."

They find Pepper, Tony, Thor, and Jane are already there when Bruce ushers them into the house. It had been a pleasant coincidence to learn that Jane and Betty had worked at the same hospital before Bruce started his private practice. Phil and Clint had given the two women a chance to reconnect and cemented their now combined circle of friends. 

"We're glad you could make it!" Bruce greets. "If we knew congratulations were in order, we would have bought champagne instead of beer."

"It's really not a big deal," Phil tells him, accepting a pat on the shoulder before turning to give Betty and her growing belly a gentle hug. 

"Of course it's a big deal," Betty argues. "We're very happy for you both." She laughs as Clint shifts to one side and then the other, exaggerating the need to work around her pregnancy to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Stop that or I won't tell you how much I've been showing off the crib."

"More like gloating about how ours is more beautiful than everyone else's store-bought models," Bruce corrects and Betty shrugs unapologetically. 

"It really wasn't that much work. I was happy to do it," Clint assures them. 

Phil wraps his arm around Clint's waist, beaming with pride. "He's just being modest, but I've given up trying to convince him to accept praise for his work."

"Well, we think the crib is amazing," Bruce reiterates and waves them further into the house. "It's warm enough for everyone to be outside. Go grab a beer and I'll start warming up the grill now that you're here."

They happily mingle with the others out in the backyard and have only been there about ten minutes when Phil glances over to see Clint talking to Bruce. He's just about to turn back to his conversation with Tony about his latest building design when he sees Bruce frown down at Clint's hand and shake his head. 

Phil sidles closer without consciously deciding to do so and overhears Bruce say, "That's a pretty nasty set of blisters, but you should be okay if you keep it clean. I can give you some antibacterial ointment if you want to be extra careful."

"Thanks, Bru–"

Phil grabs Clint's hand before he can drop it back down to his side and nearly whimpers when he sees the state of Clint's hand. There are two horrible looking blood blisters on either side of Clint's engagement ring. Phil has been working late over the past week, but he doesn't understand how he could have missed Clint being in pain. 

"Clint," Phil admonishes, "what have you done to your hand?"

"It's fine. Bruce even said so. It happens. It'll take a little time for me to readjust my grip on my tools and then they'll be as tough as my other calluses."

"Why not take your ring off while you work?"

"Because it didn't feel right and I didn't want to lose it," Clint replies and Phil shakes his head in frustration. 

"Come on, Clint. That doesn't make sense. It's just a ring. It's not worth–"

Clint's outraged gasp stops Phil from shoving any more of his foot into his mouth and he really doesn't appreciate Bruce's wince or Tony's muttered, "Oh shit, here we go." 

"That's not what I–" Phil starts to backtrack, but Clint isn't hearing any of it. 

"Why bother giving it to me at all if it's _just_ a ring? Better yet, why bother asking me to marry you, considering it's _just_ a second marriage? I mean, it's clearly _no big deal_ to you or worth going to any _trouble_ to plan. Maybe it's better if we don't bother with any of it."

Phil watches, stunned, as Clint rips the ring off his finger and shoves it against Phil's chest. He clutches at the ring automatically, barely managing not to drop it as Clint storms into the house.

"Clint, wait!" Phil spins to follow, only to be stopped short by Tony standing in his way.

"Nuh-uh. I wouldn't do that. He needs some time to cool off and you need some time to think."

Bruce sighs and slips by Phil. "I'll go make sure he didn't do too much damage to his hand."

It's then that Phil looks down and notices a spot of blood at the edge of Clint's ring. He feels like he's going to be sick.

"Clint had been quite happy to become your betrothed," Thor says and Phil looks up to find the large blonde glowering at him disapprovingly.

He looks around at the rest of his friends to find them all staring back with varying degrees of disappointment. It's Pepper who finally steps forward and places a comforting hand on Phil's arm.

"Come on, Phil. Think about it. I know you spent a lot of time searching for that ring and that you went out of way to make the proposal special."

"I ended up having a jeweler make a custom design for the ring," Phil says softly. "I cooked Clint his favorite dinner on our anniversary and proposed while the song he sang when we first met played in the background."

"That was all very romantic. Now think about everything you've said about the wedding and the marriage since then. Think _hard_."

Phil thinks back on the past week and groans. "Oh my God. How could I have fucked this up so badly? I didn't mean–"

"We know you didn't mean things that way," Pepper interrupts. "And deep down, Clint knows it too. Right now, he's hurting and confused, but it doesn't mean you guys can't figure out how to fix this."

Phil nods, hoping Pepper's right, but his heart sinks when Bruce walks back outside without Clint.

"Tony, Pepper? Do you mind giving Phil a ride home? Clint took the car."

"He… he left?" Phil asks disbelievingly.

"Sorry, Phil," Bruce apologizes. "I couldn't talk him out of it. If it's any consolation, Clint looked calm enough to drive. Said he needed time away to think."

"What if he doesn't come back?"

"Nah, he'll be back. The guy loves you," Tony says confidently. "I mean, you've got some groveling to do and you better make sure you don't fuck it up again, but Clint loves you."

Pepper wraps a comforting arm around Phil and leads him inside the house. "I hate to say this, but Tony's right. Clint loves you and you'll work your way through this. Let's just have dinner and we'll drive you home after."

~^~

The apartment is dark and empty when Phil gets home, filling him with a sense of dread as he settles on the couch to wait for Clint to return. Phil startles awake just after dawn and his stomach drops when he realizes that Clint has stayed away all night. He jumps up to go in search of his fiancee when the lock turns and Clint walks in the door.

They stare at each other across the living room for a few, long minutes before Clint sighs, turning away to lock and bolt the door.

"I'm sorry," Phil says softly, his voice still rough with sleep.

"About which part?"

"I'm not sorry about asking you to marry me – I still want that more than anything – but I am sorry I made you feel like our marriage didn't matter to me."

"Are you sure about that?"

Phil can't hold back the strangled sob of protest that escapes from the back of his throat. "Don't say that. You know I love you. Please just come sit and talk to me. We've never had problems understanding each other before."

"That's just it, Phil. You've been dictating, not talking," Clint responds angrily, but moves to sit with Phil on the couch. "You haven't asked me about what _I_ want, not since we got engaged."

"You're right and I'm sorry. I thought I already knew what you wanted, but it was wrong of me to assume."

"I know you're older and used to taking control of things, but you've never really done that with me, with us, before. I wasn't sure what to do. It took me a few hours of talking to Nat last night, but I finally figured out what was really bothering me. This is the first time you've made me feel like you were ashamed to be with me."

"What?! No. _No_ ," Phil insists. "I could never be ashamed of you. You've done so much with your life, worked your way out of mires that would sink any other man I know, including me. You turn pieces of wood into works of art and your voice would make angels stand up and cheer. If there's any question in this relationship, it's what you're doing with an old man like me."

"Six years doesn't make you old, Phil. And let's not get into the game of who's less secure in this relationship. You know I think you're hot and sexy, aside from being really fucking smart and awesome at what you do. Like I said, I never really thought about either of us being enough for the other until recently."

"Then I'm sorry I made you think that way. With our histories, I didn't think you'd want a big wedding."

"I don't," Clint says, leaning into Phil's side. Phil sighs in relief and wraps his arm around Clint. "But just because I don't want to make a big production out of it doesn't mean I don't want it at all. I don't want to hide in some windowless room in City Hall or say token vows in front of a nameless Justice of the Peace. What I want is to stand in front of all our friends and declare my intention to spend the rest of my life with you."

Phil wraps his other arm around Clint and pulls him into a proper hug. "I love you, Clint. That sounds amazing. I want that too. Please forgive me for being a total jackass about this."

Clint wraps his own arms around Phil's waist. "I'll forgive you if you promise to just _talk_ to me about this. If we don't agree on something, just say so and we'll find a compromise. I love you, Phil – more than I've ever loved anyone in my life – and I don't want to start our marriage off by not communicating."

"You have to promise me something too. That if I ever make you feel like I'm ashamed of you or that I don't care about you in any way, you tell me. Because I don't ever want you to think you're anything but the most precious thing in my life."

"I promise," Clint agrees and lifts his head to give Phil a tender kiss. 

"I can't believe I spent all that time worrying about how I was going to propose and managed to mess everything up after."

"You're just lucky you have an incredibly understanding fiancee," Clint smirks and Phil pokes him in the side just to make him squeal as he tries to hold in a ticklish giggle.

"Speaking of…" Phil reaches into his pocket and holds out Clint's engagement ring. "Will you take it back now?"

Clint holds up his bandaged left hand with a sad frown. His ring finger is tightly wrapped in sterile gauze. "I won't be able to wear it for a while. Oh wait! How about this?"

Clint sits up and unclasps the chain he wears around his neck, sliding the engagement ring next to the St. Joseph medallion the nuns at the orphanage had given him. Phil reaches out and stops him before Clint can refasten the chain, sliding his own fingers behind his neck to re-do the clasp. Phil looks down at where the ring now sits against Clint's heart and smiles.

"Will you marry me, Clint?"

"Yes, Phil. Of course, I'll marry you."

~ _fin_ ~

**Author's Note:**

> The general idea for [Clint's engagement ring](http://www.gemvara.com/jewelry/mirror-band-6-5-mm-wide/mens-platinum-ring-with-black-diamond/mllty), plus some extra customization for the wedding band.
> 
> The "mundane" professions in case you were wondering:
> 
>   * Phil - accountant
>   * Clint - carpenter
>   * Pepper - event planner
>   * Tony - architect
>   * Bruce - doctor
>   * Betty - nurse
>   * Thor - contractor
>   * Jane - doctor
>   * Natasha - bar owner
>   * Steve - police detective
>   * Jasper, Maria, Nick - also accountants
> 



End file.
